Reports on crime continue to consume evening television and radio news broadcasts and fill the pages of newspapers throughout North America and other places in the world, particularly in urban areas. One practical solution is the use of devices by law-abiding citizens to attract attention to themselves when confronted by a criminal intent on committing a violent act. Various attempts have been made to address the foregoing problem of inconspicuous crimes against persons, at least at the primary crime scene. For example, in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,089, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, I disclosed a portable personal security system having multiple distress signals for attracting attention to a crime scene. The system includes a battery pack and is contained within the body of a carrying bag having a carrying strap, an interior component compartment and a space for holding personal items. A siren and a visual signal generator disposed within the component compartment proximate openings selectively generate a loud distinguishable noise and a visual signal. Preferably, an arming switch is first placed in an "armed" position, such that a panic switch simultaneously activates the siren and the visual signal.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,089, the preferred visual signal generator included a spark flare and an ignitor electrically mounted on a base plate disposed within the component compartment and connected with the battery pack. The visual signal could also be a high intensity strobe lamp electrically connected with the battery pack, whereupon actuation emits a high-intensity and high frequency light signal through the visual window. A panic switch comprised a rotatable key lock switch located on the inner front side of the external skin of the bag, having an "on" and "off" position operated by a removable key, where the system is activated only upon turning the key to the "on" position and can be deactivated upon turning the key to the "off" position. Alternatively, a key fob having a pressure sensitive switch coupled with a activation receiver disposed within the component compartment can serve as a panic switch, such that the system is activated only upon depression of the pressure sensitive switch and deactivated only upon turning the arming switch to the "unarmed" position. The system preferable included as a strap having a thin cable screwed into frame of the bag to avoid theft of the portable personal security system while being carried.
The aforementioned invention represented a significant improvement over the prior art. For example, one prior art approach is passive, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,534, and includes a handbag provided with an detachable inner purse secured to a chain attached to the user. When a purse-snatcher attempts to forcibly steal the purse, the detachable inner purse holding the user's valuables remains attached to the user and defeats the objectives of the criminal. Although possibility "creating a scene" during the criminal event, such devices do not actively signal and accordingly do not effectively draw attention to the criminal act so that help can be summoned from other citizens or the police.
Other devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,140 and 4,067,290 as an audible alarm coupled between a woman's purse and purse handle. A sudden force exerted on the purse handle activates the audio alarm, such as during a purse snatching event. However, these devices are only operable during a purse snatching event and would be useless as a means of attracting attention for other, often more serious, crimes. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,309 discloses a hand-held audio alarm unit fueled by compressed gas that automatically activates when released, for example, through the sudden reaction of a crime victim. A drawback of this approach is that the automatic activation feature tends to promote false alarms and depletion of the compressed gas, possibly rendering it inoperative when needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,371 discloses a multi-alarm system for inducing a thief to drop a stolen briefcase. A flashing light is taught that is triggered, along with other features, when an incorrect lock combination is used or the briefcase is stolen. Nothing is disclosed that allows a panic alarm for the rightful carrier of the briefcase while it is being carried. In fact, it is taught that the briefcase is to be charged with high voltage, rendering it impossible for the rightful carrier to simultaneously carry the briefcase and activate a visual and audio alarm.
Another approach is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,804. There, a triggering mechanism for providing effective and fail-safe activation is combined with a flashlight, a compressed gas source and a noise generator, dispersed dye and/or an odoriferous spray. U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,026 teaches a personal visual and audible alarm device, where the visual alarm consists of only streamers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,938,126 and 4,189,721 teach only a sound generator. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,512,881 and 5,587,701 disclose more sophisticated alarm systems, but each primarily rely upon a sound generator as the alarm. The major shortcoming of these approaches, as with each of the foregoing examples of the personal alarms of the prior art, is that such devices relies on primarily sound as the means to attract attention to the crime scene. Especially in noisy or congested areas, sound alone is insufficient to immediately attract attention to the crime scene, especially at a distance.
Still other approaches are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,893,096 and 4,376,935, where a handbag is provided with an audio alarm indicating unauthorized opening of the handbag. U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,802 does suggest the use of visual alarm rather than an audible alarm actuated upon unauthorized opening, but primarily contemplates an audio alarm. Alarm systems with an audio alarm only are taught for sensing a handbag handstrap being cut, as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,389,916, or sensing when a handbag itself is cut, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,570. Again, sound alone may be insufficient to immediately attract attention to the crime scene.
While my U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,089 generally addressed and solved the aforementioned drawbacks in the prior art, it has been learned that improvements were still possible, particularly with regard to the nature of the bag, the compartment within which the combined visual signal generator and sound generator are housed and concealed, the compartment within which personal articles might be carried and the location and nature of the panic switch. More particularly, it has been found that a more utilitarian design for use by both women and men is desired, particularly in urban college and hospital campus found in many, if not most, urban areas and that a separate arming switch may be, in some circumstances, undesirable.
Also sought were improved anti-theft capabilities and an improved location so that the visual signal is more visible and the sound generator is most efficiently employed. Bags carried by hand are usually at or near a user's knees and bags carried under an arm are usually partially hidden by the arm. Both locations tend to interfere with the visual signal and tend to muffle the audio signal, limiting the effective range of the security device. Moreover, it is desired that an improved panic switch be provided that is conveniently located for immediate activation under virtually all circumstances, yet incapable of being conveniently turned off. Finally, a more efficient manner of carrying the security device was sought. Improved access to the compartment within which the alarm system is housed was desired, in order to improve the convenience of replacing the alarm system batteries.